Phil Bendle Collection:Ophiopogon planiscapus Niger (Black Mondo Grass)

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Ophiopogon
Species: O. planiscapus
Binomial name: Ophiopogon planiscapus
Cultivar name: Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Niger' 
Synonym name: Ophiopogon nigrescens ‘Black Dragon’
Common name: Black Mondo Grass, Black Lilyturf

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Niger' is a cultivar of a small evergreen perennial that it is native to Japan where it grows on open and forested slopes. The cultivar 'Nigrescens' is much grown as a ground cover plant with a softly arching habit. Its leaves turn from green to nearly jet black and can grow to 20cm and 6.35mm wide.
From early through midsummer, short spikes of light purple to white flowers are produced in racemes held on short stems above the leaves. These are followed by purplish blackberries in autumn.
The plants spread by underground stolons with thick fleshy roots making fair sized colonies which can be separated by division in the spring.

Photographed at Burgess Park, New Plymouth

[1]

Flower Mid December 

[2] 

Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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